


Count On Me

by fullmetalscully



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Rescue Missions, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 02:06:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19038958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalscully/pseuds/fullmetalscully
Summary: Hak's thoughts as he tries to fight his way through the rubble to reach Yona and the others, who are trapped on the other side.A slightly different take on chapter 23 and 24.





	Count On Me

**Author's Note:**

> i started akayona about 5 days ago and it already owns me i'm in hakyona hell but don't send help
> 
> a short little something i cooked up to satisfy my angsty-shipper heart

Sweat dripped down his face and back as he worked. The heat in the caves seemed oppressive, but that could have been due to the panic in his chest and the terror in his heart, rather than the actual temperature of the underground room. His hands ached as he dug, fingers bloody and raw. The rocks he’d managed to dislodge were covered in his blood, but Hak didn’t care. The only though that penetrated his mind as he scrambled to remove the rubble was “ _the princess is_ in there”.

She was stuck on the other side, buried underground.

And he hadn’t been there.

“ _I’ll be careful so that it won’t be like what happened before._ ”

“ _I don’t like it when you’re annoying. So, I’ll be careful._ ”

Yona’s smiling face entered his mind as the reminder of her promise echoed through his mind. It pushed him to work harder and faster. The pure terror that had gripped Hak when he’d first felt the earthquake remained within him. It fuelled him, along with the guilt that he’d left Yona to travel in there without him.

And now she was trapped.

He trusted Kija and Yoon to keep her safe, but they weren’t _him_. Yona’s protection was _his_ responsibility and, once again, he’d failed her. Hak grit his teeth as he continued to dig.

 _Why can’t you foresee these things? Why can’t you_ think _when she orders you to stay put and wait?_

Because Hak knew he’d do anything for Yona, regardless of whether she ordered him to or not.

Forcing the image of her bloodied head and half-buried body under rubble, Hak pushed forward.

* * *

Hak’s glaive struck something solid, unable to penetrate through the rock.

“It’s no use!” one the villager’s cried. “We can’t get through!” The panic was palpable as a murmur grew throughout the group. The light breeze tugged at Hak’s hair, cooling the sweat on his forehead and making him shiver.

 _It can’t be no use. I refuse to accept that_!

Tossing his glaive aside, he grabbed the pickaxe from the villager’s unresisting hands. He cried out in protest, but Hak ignored him.

“It’s only no use if you give up,” Hak barked, swinging the pickaxe with abandon, desperation seeping into his movements. _I can’t be no use. The princess is down there, and she_ can’t _be trapped. I won’t leave her down there!_

The promise he’d made to her and to himself to keep her safe and out of harm’s way rang through his head. His swings became stronger and more precise.

Eventually, the rock gave way.

The hot air from the cave rushed out through the gap he’d made.

“Princess!” he called out into the cave. There was no one to greet him on the other side. There was no one in view. Hak stepped inside without another thought, desperately searching the cave. This was where the villager’s said his son would be. _So why weren’t they here_?

“Hak,” a quiet voice called to him. His head snapped to the left and he saw Kija lying on the ground, propped up against the wall of the cave. “Over here.” His voice was weak, face pale, chest shuddering as he struggled to breathe.

That was when the realisation hit Hak. They were running out of oxygen.

“Here,” Kija offered him weakly, pushing a small and unconscious form towards Hak. He froze after instinctively reaching for her, his shock and fear stilling him. “She… She needs help.”

Yona’s eyes were closed, breaths shallow. Sweat covered her face, her brilliant hair sticking to her skin. All those years she’d complained about her hair and Hak had kept quiet, agreeing with the princess. In truth, he thought her hair was beautiful and wouldn’t change it for the world.

It hurt him to think that it had been Soo-Won’s words who had changed her mind, but that was a matter of the heart and nothing Hak could change. It only stung because Hak had told her the same thing years ago, but she’d dismissed him, continuing to complain. After that, he’d remained quiet and agreed with her.

He’d done a lot of denying to himself in order to keep the princess happy and would continue to do so. He’d sacrifice everything to keep her happy. Even his hands as he dug through the rubble to try and reach her.

That was all he ever wanted, for Yona to be safe and happy.

“Get her outside,” Kija begged, his eyes meeting Hak’s, conveying his desperation. An understanding dawned on Kija’s face when he saw Hak’s own expression. He knew he looked panicked and terrified because of Yona’s unknown state. “Keep her safe.”

Hak nodded and stood, fleeing from the cave and outside into the oxygen rich air.

Yona gasped in his arms, eyes fluttering open. She coughed; eyes unfocussed as they took in the sudden bright sunshine rather than the darkness of the cave.

“Princess,” Hak breathed, his hands instinctively tightening their hold on her. He stopped moving, sitting on the ground and leaning against boulder near the cave entrance. The villagers were already entering the cave and escorting the other’s out. Kija came out leaning on someone. Yoon was being carried by another man. Someone wearing a mask exited and looked left and right, finally spotting Yona. He approached with determined steps, causing Hak to hold her closer, protectively, against his body. The man stopped and crouched, sitting watching them both. As Hak opened his mouth to talk, Yona beat him to it.

“Hak?” she asked weakly. His head snapped down. Her eyes were unfocussed as she blinked, trying to regain her bearings. “It’s you,” she whispered.

“I’m here, princess. Just rest, I’ve got you.”

“You came for me,” she realised, her voice taking on a wistful tone as her eyes closed.

“Of course,” Hak replied without hesitation. “I always will.”

Hak blinked, body frozen in shock as a hand was pressed against his cheek. Yona’s half-lidded eyes stared up at him, tears forming in the corners, but there was a smile on her face.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “And sorry. I know… I can always count on you.”

Her grip was slipping and Hak gently grasped her wrist, noting her body going limp as she fell unconscious once more.

The man before them shifted in place, drawing Hak’s attention away from the only woman who owned his heart. The stranger nodded once then stood and retreated towards the cave.

Hak looked down once more, noting how the princess’ breaths were becoming more even and the colour was returning to her face. Her wrist was still held in his hand, hovering close to his cheek. The skin she’d touched burned, but in the best way. Unable to help himself, Hak slid his fingers to intertwine with Yona’s, gripping her hand tightly before pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist.

He bowed his head as his tears formed, vowing to himself that once more, he would never leave her side – he’d made that promise to her before she’d left so it was time to follow through with it. His guilt wracked his mind and body, causing it to tremble as a tear fell down his cheek.

Hak had almost lost her today. That scared him more than anything because he didn’t know what he would do in this life without Princess Yona in it. She was the force driving him forward, his reason for breathing. It had far surpassed any kind of sense of duty years ago. This drive to protect her went so far beyond that now. Whether she would ever know or not, that was something Hak hadn’t decided yet.

Quelling the terror of loss, stopping it from building too much, Hak pushed it down.

She was alive and she would be all right.

Hak’s grip on her tightened as he sat in the sunshine and waited for her to wake up, remaining her ever-present protector.


End file.
